Caver found alive

BY PAIGE STANAGE AND LINDSAY MCREYNOLDS

Posted 4/18/19

A diver who assisted in the cave rescue of a Thai soccer team last year was rescued himself in Jackson County Wednesday night.Josh Bratchley, who was reported missing inside a cave on Flynns Creek Road, was rescued by Edd Sorenson, a specially trained cave diver with Cave Adventurers, at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

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A diver who assisted in the cave rescue of a Thai soccer team last year was rescued himself in Jackson County Wednesday night.

Josh Bratchley, who was reported missing inside a cave on Flynns Creek Road, was rescued by Edd Sorenson, a specially trained cave diver with Cave Adventurers, at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Bratchley has no injuries and refused medical treatment, according to Jackson County EMA.

"They are checking his vitals now, but he walked out of that water like it was nothing," caver and photographer Chuck Sutherland said after Bratchley's rescue.

Longtime caver Anne Elmore was among those who celebrated with Bratchley following his rescue.

"He was full of energy," Elmore said after meeting Bratchley for the first time following his rescue. "That was not what I expected. We sat up until 2 a.m. and talked about it. He wasn't scared. He didn't panic. That's why he's still here."

Bratchley was reported missing at approximately 3 a.m. Wednesday by fellow explorers following an expedition inside the cave following the break of a line.

"They (fellow explorers) were confident in the man's abilities, and his mental and physical shape to be able to handle this sort of thing," Jackson County EMA public information officer Derek Woolbright said.

The opening of the cave had to be reached by diving into a pond, so divers from Arkansas and Florida assisted with the rescue, said Woolbright.

Cave diver Sorenson described the "air bell," a space between the water and roof of the cave, where he found Bratchley as the same size as that of the room Wednesday night's press conference was held in, in a video of the press conference shared by the Associated Press.

Lt. Brian Krebs of the Chattanooga Hamilton County Rescue Service said they expected it would take over 2 hours to get Bratchley out, but Sorenson was able to get Bratchley out in 45 to 50 minutes.

"He knew the logistics," Elmore said of Bratchley's experience as a caver. "He had a dry suit. He found the air bell to get out of the water."

Sutherland and rescue officials mentioned that hypothermia is a concern for anyone in the water that long.